Watching Another Dream
by tangerinekidd32
Summary: While Jet and Ed are out, Faye comes home hurt and Spike has no choice but to play nurse. As he takes care of Faye, something about her reminds him of the woman from his past. Has Spike found a new "dream girl" ?


A/N: I think I'm stopping with long stories... I never have the patience or the motivation to write it from start to finish. So I guess I'll just stick to little fan ficlets.. Hehe.. silly made up word... This is during the series, an average day on the bebop. Sorry if it's OOC.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own CB or the quote I used towards the end. It's from the episode Honky Tonk Women. Oh and I also don't own the other quote, it's from the song Dream Lover by Bobby Darin.  
  
Watching Another Dream  
  
*****  
  
Another day on the Bebop... Everything was very still and quiet. The slightest noise would be just as disruptive as a pebble landing in an undisturbed pond. Jet had been out the whole day, buying spare parts and ammunition with Ed. And without Ed and her zany ways, and Jet with his scolding lectures about being more careful with the ships, the bounty hunter lay in the complete silence.  
  
Spike had been in his room for most of the day, since there was nothing to do and no where to go. Even if there was somewhere to go, his ship had been overworked again. Faye's ship was in bad condition, but it still flew and she took her chances with it. She went off somewhere. 'Probably gambling again,' he thought. So Spike was stuck on the Bebop, alone, without a thing to do.  
  
Our lanky bounty hunter took a long drag from his cigarette, as he lay awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep the day away so he was left with the boredom to come. He sighed, feeling the frustration of nothing to do building in him. Among the many cigarettes in the ashtray at his bedside, a freshly smoked cigarette joined the massive pile of ash. His hands roamed from his chest pocket down to his pants pocket. He didn't have any left... Then, he decided to check his drawer for some.  
  
As he dug through the mess, he still didn't find any cigarettes. But suddenly the craving for another quickly disappeared. Another item had caught his attention. It was a roll of a cloth bandage. Spike took it in his hands and slowly unraveled it, noticing that it was clean and surprisingly without bloodstains. Then, he remembered where that bandage came from and why he had saved it. But that was a long time ago...  
  
'Julia' he thought. It was the same bandage she used on him when he had fallen outside of her apartment. And all the memories returned to him.  
  
'It'll be like watching a dream...'  
  
Those same words repeated in his head as he held the bandage. A lump in his throat began to swell when he thought about their plan to escape from the syndicate. Oh how he wished everything went according to plan. It would have been just like he had said, like watching a dream...  
  
He didn't want to live in this dream all by himself with out his dream girl. And for a moment's time, hope for Julia had vanished.  
  
Spike was still having a hard time accepting the thought of forgetting about her. Maybe he was just lonely. There were plenty of women out there for him. He thought of joining the dating game once again to fulfill his needs. But dating would cut into his bounty hunting unless she was someone who lived where he did... on the ship.  
  
He shook his head, almost shocked at what he had just thought. 'I'm just bored. Yeah, that's it. The silence is making me go crazy...' He decided. He chuckled a bit, 'I'd have to be losing it...to think of Faye like...that.' Subconsciously, a light blush formed at his cheeks.  
  
He wrapped his bandage and stuffed it back in to his drawer. Hands worked less gingerly to do this than when he first took it out. Perhaps he was finally getting over it...  
  
Before any more strange ideas could pop into his head, he walked out of his room. Whistling a laid back tune, Spike strolled out of his room to the living area.  
  
Suddenly, he heard the hangar closing. 'Jet's back already?' He was hoping. His stomach was waiting all day for some food. Cigarettes weren't exactly hunger fulfilling. "Jet?" he called out. It was too quiet to be Jet and Ed but who else could it be?  
  
Then, an outline of Faye's body came into view. But something was wrong; she was hunched over and limping. Her steps were slow as she shuffled closer and closer. When she came into the light, Spike could see the many bruises and cuts she had. It wasn't pretty.  
  
"Shit. Faye, How the hell did this happen? Where did you go?" he asked, almost upset with her for getting hurt. The concern in his tone was still obvious as he tried to mask it. "Great you get hurt while Jet's out and can't take care of you."  
  
She had been bounty hunting alone. Faye had done this before and she usually came back victorious. However, she seemed to underestimate the bounty this time. It was a bounty that had been tied to some syndicate and which got her into a big mess.  
  
A gurgle like sound led to a flow of coughing as she opened her mouth to give an explanation. Apparently, she couldn't talk right now. And Spike was just in her way. She couldn't take it anymore; she wanted to lie down, now. Finding the closest thing to break her fall, she collapsed hard into Spike's body.  
  
"Wha..." he said, taken aback for a bit by her sudden act. Spike put his arms around Faye to stop her from falling. Using one arm to support her back and the other to sweep her legs up, she was now being carried by him.  
  
While she lay asleep on the couch, Spike gathered medical supplies. He couldn't find much. The first aid kit didn't have enough bandages to keep the cloth gauze in place. Spike hoped she didn't have that many cuts.  
  
Using a small towel, he dipped it into a bowl of water and squeezed it out. This was the first time Spike played nurse. Usually he was the patient and knocked out while someone took care of him. Now he didn't know exactly what to do. He hesitantly wiped Faye's skin that wasn't covered by her clothes, but he knew he had to eventually get under there.  
  
And that time came soon. He had taken care of the small cuts that weren't hidden by her clothes. But the gash in her side was clearly visible. Her yellow top was cut along with her skin. His hands made their way to the button of her top but paused. 'Damn, where's Jet? I really shouldn't be the one to do this,' He complained. Now his hands were shaking. Perhaps out of nervousness? But he unbuttoned her top quickly, realizing he had to patch up that deep gash. He hoped she wore a bra...  
  
He guessed wrong. With one snap of the button, her upper body was fully exposed. A flush of red reached Spike's cheeks. 'I'm glad she's asleep,' he thought, grateful that she couldn't see him blush or slap him. He worked quickly to patch up the gash in her side. After he had finished, he couldn't help but notice the glorious sight before him. It's not like he hasn't seen... that before. But they were still unlike any other. Then he buttoned her top after mentally scolding himself for thinking such things. All the bandages were used up; he had just enough.  
  
Without her mouth running and her face scowling, Spike thought she looked peaceful. She actually looked... beautiful. 'She's not so bad...' He decided as he stood up to leave but as soon as he did, he heard a small cry of pain as Faye moved around. There was a spot of a deeper red against her red jacket. He quickly took off her red jacket and noticed another cut in her forearm. He put a cloth-gauze over the cut he had cleaned. But it wouldn't stay without a bandage wrap to keep it in place. Just then, he stood up and walked to his room.  
  
The drawer that held the old, but still clean bandage was right in front of him. 'Faye needs it more than you do.'  
  
Without wasting anymore time, Spike walked out with the bandage in hand. It was the same one that was used on him. He lifted her arm by holding onto her hand softly. Spike paused, he had woken her up.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open slowly and when her vision cleared, she locked eyes with him. "Hey, gowljo," she managed to utter as Spike wrapped the bandage around her arm, still holding onto her hand. He still held it in his own, even when he had finished wrapping her arm. He gave her hand a gentle caress before he stood up.  
  
"Don't get into a mess like that again," he simply said.  
  
"Well, I didn't have a partner to help me, yenno," Faye said, a bit huffy as she looked at him. Hinting that he wasn't there to help her out. She was returning to her old self again.  
  
"Just ask then," he told her, "And I'll see if I'm up to baby sit." He smirked at her a bit.  
  
"Hah!" she tried to come up with another comeback, but right after she huffed, a flow of coughing and sputtering followed.  
  
"Hey you alright?" He asked as he instinctively patted her back to help relieve her coughing.  
  
She could only look up at him. She brought her arm up to her side, "Did you do this?" She swore she saw him blush. Just then, he remembered how he had to unbutton her shirt to do it. Spike looked away hoping she didn't see him blushing, "I had no choice." He scratched the back of his head.  
  
Faye smirked at him, but instead of saying something to further embarrass him, she spoke kinder words. "Thanks..."  
  
"Oh, anytime." He said in a forced calm manner as he left her in the living room, knowing that she was in good condition.  
  
Faye watched him leave and then looked down at her arm. The bandage that was on her arm looked different from all the other ones on her body. 'Strange...' she thought to herself. Not only did it not match the ones from the first aid kit, but also it was strange all on its own. There was something about it that Faye just couldn't put her finger on. She continued to look at the odd bandage...  
  
Meanwhile, Spike lay in his bed again with his thoughts clouding his mind. Why had he used the bandage that meant so much to him?  
  
He thought of the way he had taken care of Faye and how Julia had taken care of him. He remembered how he felt at that time with Julia. But when he patched Faye up, it reminded him of what he had lost long ago. That was, until she got huffy. He knew Faye could get ugly at sometimes, but something about her allured him. Especially when it was just them, talking one on one.  
  
Suddenly, he heard the hanger shut again. Jet was home, finally. 'Great timing...' he joked to himself. Suddenly, he remembered what Jet had said when they first met, "It's just like Charlie said in my dream, If you wanna receive, you have to give. See Spike? You gotta listen to your dreams. That's how you find your dream girl..."  
  
'Dream girl huh?' Spike thought in response to what he had remembered. And with that last thought, he fell into a slumber. He was going to have another dream...  
  
" 'Cause I want a girl to call my own. I want a dream lover so I don't have to dream alone..."  
  
- Bobby Darin  
  
A/N: Boy, was that lengthy. How was that? Pointless? C'mon gimmie your opinion. No flames though =) But kindly suggestions and pointers would be helpful and much nicer. I hope it wasn't confusing. Just to make things clear, Faye just might a possible "dream girl" for Spike. Okay, with that said... Toodles 


End file.
